Hydrogenation of Functionalized Nitroarenes Catalyzed by Single-Phase Pyrite FeS2 Nanoparticles on N,S-Codoped Porous Carbon.

Catalytic hydrogenation of nitroarenes is an industrially very important and environmentally friendly process for the production of anilines; however, highly chemoselective reduction of nitroarenes decorated with one or more reducible groups in a nitroarene molecule remains a challenge. Herein, a novel hybrid non-noble iron-based nanocatalyst (named as FeS2 /NSC) was developed, which was prepared from biomass as C and N source together with inexpensive Fe(NO3 )3 as Fe source through high-temperature pyrolysis in a straightforward and cost-effective procedure. Comprehensive characterization revealed that single-phase pyrite FeS2 nanoparticles with precisely defined composition and uniform size were homogeneously dispersed on N,S-codoped porous carbon with large specific surface area, hierarchical porous channels, and high pore volume. The resultant catalyst FeS2 /NSC demonstrated good catalytic activity for hydrogenation of functionalized nitroarenes with good tolerance of various functional groups in water as a sustainable and green solvent. Compared with bulk pyrite FeS2 and other non-noble metal-based heterogeneous catalysts reported in the literature, a remarkably enhanced activity was observed under mild reaction conditions. More importantly, FeS2 /NSC displayed exclusive chemoselectivity for the reduction of nitro groups for nitroarenes bearing varying readily reducible groups.